Opening Application In Multiple Instances

macrumors newbie

I would like to open an application (ToneGen, a sine wave generator) in multiple instances. A quick search on google led me to a command line in terminal, a program of which I was not previously aware. The command line does not work for ToneGen; although, I tested it on Safari and it worked perfectly in that instance. Is there anything else I can do to open this application multiple times? Why does the command line work for some applications and not others?

macrumors 601

macrumors 603

ToneGen can generate up to 16 simultaneous tones, according to their product pages. These can be different waveforms, too. That's why I asked the OP for an explanation of what they're trying to accomplish.

thread startermacrumors newbie

I am using ToneGen to parametrically equalize my headphones. Certain frequencies are perceived louder than others on any set of headphones. You can determine the peaks by sweeping over the frequency spectrum and listening for where the volume raises. It is true that one can make up to 16 separate tones in ToneGen; however, I, at least, cannot find a way to mute separate tracks in order to discern the veritable difference in volume between tones. I thought that by opening separate instances of ToneGen I could quickly switch between tones and accurately note the correct decibel level with which to compensate for on the equalizer. If it is simply not possible then I will simply do without... There is, on the other hand, a program for Windows that is designed for this (SineGen) but I do not have a Windows partition to run it on. I'm improvising.

macrumors 603

Many (most?) Mac OS X apps will not work properly when multiple instances are run at the same time. There are various technical reasons for this, which I won't go into. Some apps work; others don't; there's no way to predict which way it will go.

The last time I did any serious EQ, I used a sweep, which ToneGen will do. I did not spend the extra effort to do separate A/B tone testing.

ToneGen has the capability to write audio files. So generate a series of single tones, and save each one to a separate file. Then open the files in QuickTime Player for playback. You can then play them back individually or together.

Or you could use the program "Audacity", which is a full-featured audio editor. It's definitely overkill for this task, and is a cross-platform program, so it has a "not like a Real Mac App" look, but it's not hard to figure out how to do the basics. For example, you could use its builtin signal generator to make A/B alternating tones.

I also suggest filing a feature-request with the makers of ToneGen. Generating A/B tones, or at least being able to easily mute/unmute individual tones seems like it would be a good feature.

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